National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Meralgia paresthetica


Other Names:
Bernhardt-Roth syndrome; Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment; Meralgia paraesthetica familial (type)
Categories:
Meralgia paresthetica is a condition characterized by numbness, tingling, and a burning pain in the outer thigh. Symptoms may worsen after walking or standing.[1] The condition usually affects only one side of the body, but both sides may be affected in up to 20% of cases.[2] Meralgia paresthetica is caused by compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, a sensory nerve to the skin on the outer thigh. Compression may be associated with various causes such as wearing tight clothing or a heavy tool belt, diabetes, nerve injury during local or regional surgery, weight gain, pregnancy, seatbelt injury, or rarely, a mass pressing on the nerve.[2][3][4][5] Treatment is based on the symptoms and severity in each person. Treatment for mild symptoms may include removing the cause of nerve compression, which may involve weight loss or wearing loose clothing. More severe pain may require a nerve block to temporarily relieve symptoms. Neurogenic pain medications (such as carbamazepine or gabapentin) typically are not as helpful but rarely relieve symptoms. People with very severe pain which is not relieved by nerve block may need to have surgery to release the nerve.[1][2][4]
Last updated: 9/24/2018

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Abnormality of the nervous system
Neurologic abnormalities
Neurological abnormality
[ more ] 		0000707
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Meralgia paresthetica. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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  1. Meralgia Paresthetica Information Page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). June 20, 2018; https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Meralgia-Paresthetica-Information-Page.
  2. Sekul EA. Meralgia Paresthetica. Medscape Reference. Jul 31, 2018; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1141848-overview.
  3. Cheatham SW, Kolber MJ, Salamh PA. Meralgia paresthetica: a review of the literature. Int J Sports Phys Ther. December 2013; 8(6):883-893.
  4. Burning Thigh Pain (Meralgia Paresthetica). American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. June, 2017; https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/burning-thigh-pain-meralgia-paresthetica/.
  5. Anderson BC. Meralgia paresthetica (lateral femoral cutaneous nerve entrapment). UpToDate. Waltham, MA: UpToDate; May 02, 2018; https://www.uptodate.com/contents/meralgia-paresthetica-lateral-femoral-cutaneous-nerve-entrapment.